The Boy Who Laughs
by Elusive-Daydreamer
Summary: Petunia Dursley refuses to have magic in her home. As a result, Harry grows up in the USA under the name Jerome Valeska. The wizarding world could never have prepared for this.
1. Chapter 1-The Beginning

Petunia Dursley was in a very good mood. Her husband had recently gotten a promotion, her baby boy was thriving and had just learned his first word ('no', he's a very assertive child, just like his father), and the autumn had been mild enough that her flowers and garden were still the envy of the neighborhood. Life was going very well indeed.

She had awoken early so she could cook a full breakfast for her family. She had just started to crack the eggs into a bowl when there was a knock on the door. Petunia glanced toward the entry hall in confusion. She wasn't expecting anyone, especially at this hour. The knocking came again, louder and more insistent. Petunia quickly wiped her hands on a dishtowel and hurried to answer the door before the noise woke her son.

She opened the door to see the milkman. She frowned, furious. She had left the empty bottles on the doorstep the previous evening; there was no reason for him to cause such a commotion.

"Well? What is it? If you wake my son I'll be calling your supervisor!"

"My apologies ma'am, please s'cuse the interruption, but I found a baby on yer doorstep."

"I'm sorry?" Petunia stared at him blankly. He found a what? "A baby? Why on earth would a baby be on my doorstep?"

"I dunno, ma'am, but it's righ'ere, inna basket."

Petunia glanced down and, sure enough, there laid an infant in a basket. The child had dark hair and bright green eyes that stared up at her with an eerie quiet.

Her sister's child.

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll call the police and have this figured out."

The milkman nodded in satisfaction and left, taking the empty milk bottles with him. Petunia hurriedly scooped up the basket and the fresh milk and went inside before any of the neighbors could see. She set the basket on the table and busied herself with putting away the milk while she took a few calming breaths. Once she felt sufficiently calm, she walked over to the basket and stared at her nephew for a long while.

He was a beautiful child. He was perfectly proportioned, neither to thin nor too thick. He had Lily's porcelain complexion and pink rosy cheeks. His eyes were a magnificent shade of green that glowed against his pale skin and dark hair. It figured that her sister would beat her even at this.

An envelope tucked in to the blanket caught her eye. She quickly ripped it open and read the contents twice. Her sister and her good for nothing husband were dead, and the child had been left in her care. Petunia's mind whirled. She had not gotten along with her sister for the past several years, but she was still her little sister. They had been extremely close as children. It was only when magic came in to their lives that everything changed. When everything fell apart. Magic had done this, killed her family's relationship as much as it had killed her sister. She would tolerate it no more, the child had to go.

With that decision made, Petunia calmly made the child a bottle. She would discuss the details with her husband over breakfast.

Vernon came thundering down the stairs a few minutes after the smell of sizzling bacon managed to waft its way up the stairs. He carried a fussy Dudley with him, and deposited the child in to his high chair before sitting down himself and opened up the morning paper. Petunia finished up the cooking and carried over a heaping plate of bacon, eggs, and toast over to her husband

He grunted his thanks and started to stuff his face. When he had guzzled a little more than half the contents of his plate, he gestured to the basket that was still on the table. "What's in there, Pet?"

Petunia looked up from where she was sitting, scooping spoonful after spoonful of sugared oatmeal in to her large child's mouth. "My sister and her husband were murdered last night, and someone thought it would be a good idea to leave their baby on our doorstep. He's one of _them,_ so we can't call the police. I've been trying to think of a way to get rid of him all morning, but I don't want to burden a perfectly normal family with a little freak."

Vernon stroked one of his fat chins, deep in thought. Suddenly he smiled, inspired by an ad he had glanced over in the morning paper. "Well Pet, then we won't leave him with normal folk. We'll give him to some freaks."

"How are we supposed to find more of them?"

Vernon grinned toothily through his mustache. "There's a circus in London this week. I can take today off and we can take Duddy to see the show and leave the basket with the boy next to the freak tent. No one will be able to trace it back to us, and he won't be a burden to any normal people."

Petunia smiled adoringly at her husband. She had married a genius. "Okay Diddykins, let's get you cleaned up. We're going to the circus!"

Lila Valeska sighed, irritated. She had come to London to get away from Cicero and his nagging about her kid, but she was starting to regret it. The circus she had joined was second rate at best, and the locals didn't appreciate her talents.

And the men were ugly. 

She took a long swig from a bottle of swill the perverted clown in trailer four made and wished it were stronger. Jerome was screaming his head off again and it was starting to grate on her nerves.

"Oi! Lila!" The ringmaster pounded on the side of her trailer, "Git yer kid ta shut 'is trap! Yer on next!"

"Alright, alright already!" She snapped and grabbed Jerome by his scrawny shoulders and gave him a rough shake. "Why don't you ever shut up you little brat? Is a moment of silence too much to ask?" Lila snarled at the one-year-old, whose head was whipping back in forth sickeningly. Lila finally lost all her breath and released her child. Jerome slumped, boneless, into his cardboard box.

It wasn't until she had returned from her last performance and finished her booze that Lila realized Jerome was being oddly silent. She peeked into the cardboard box and reeled back in shock, and then crouched down to get a closer look at her boy. He was staring ahead with glassy eyes, and his skin was starting to take on a blue tinge. Lila hesitantly pressed a finger against her child's throat. There was no movement, and the skin was cold to the touch.

For a moment, Lila was filled with shame and grief. But then her selfishness took hold of her and she worried about what would happen when the others found out. And what they would do to her when they discovered she had killed her child. They might not have liked Jerome very much, but it was an unspoken law that you don't hurt children. (Well, at least nothing permanent.)

Lila covered Jerome's body with his blanket and exited her trailer. She could pass it off as an accident. She had shaken Jerome before to get him to shut up, nothing about this time was any different... but she could say he suffocated on his blanket in his sleep, which might go over easier. She huffed in annoyance and started walking towards the prop tent. The clowns usually hid the good booze there.

Right before she entered the tent, a soft whimper caught her attention. Lila was drawn towards a patch of tall grass next to a fold in the tent. There, nestled in the grass and obscured by the tent, lay a basket with a baby inside. Lila picked him up and looked at the small face. It was a boy, judging by the pajamas with little trucks as a design, and he was about the same age as Jerome. He even had a passing resemblance to Jerome, with the thick black hair and green eyes. No one who had recently seen Jerome would be fooled, but if she went back to Haly's Circus then …

Lila blinked in shock and almost returned the baby to the basket, but she hesitated. Was it such a bad idea? She hated it here, and she had made it very well known. It wouldn't be a surprise if she up and left. And she had several lovers that were very fond of her at Haly's; it would be easy to go back. Besides, Cicero's blind, so it's not like he'd notice if she had a different child with her. And this way, she could avoid all the…unpleasantness…that a dead child tends to bring.

Decision made, Lila put the child back in the basket and cautiously covered him up with his blanket. She made her way back to her trailer, staying in the shadows to avoid suspicion. Once inside she immediately began packing her meager belongings. Her last act was to wrap the body of her dead baby in the blanket from the basket. She'd throw it and the basket she found with her new Jerome into the Thames on her way to the airport.

"Are you ready to go to America, Jerome?" Lila cooed. The newly dubbed Jerome made a soft hiccupping sound and stared up sleepily at his new mother.


	2. Chapter 2-Childhood Years

"Jerome! Get out!"

The ringmaster gently nudged the boy out of the sideshow tent, away from his screaming mother. "Come along, Jerome. Let's give your mother some privacy." Jerome stared down at the ground and sniffled, but he allowed the ringmaster to lead him from the tent.

Once they were out of earshot, the ringmaster knelt down and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Come now, boy. You know not to bother your mom when she's preparing for her show. Anyway, you should be in the school trailer." The ringmaster tilted his head down and raised an eyebrow. Jerome looked down, suddenly finding the grass fascinating.

"I know, Mr. O'Donnell." Jerome sniffed ad looked up with wide green eyes. "I just wanted to talk to Sheba."

Brutus O'Donnell closed his eyes and let out a slow, steady breath. The poor kid desperately wanted to please his mom, and while he did have an amazing connection with the snake, Lila would never allow anyone to even have the opportunity to upstage her. Not even her own son. Jerome wanted desperately to please her, and it was a large burden for a five-year-old to carry.

"You know your mom doesn't like you around Sheba." Brutus said sternly. Then he sighed and took a gentler tone. "I know you want to participate in the shows, but your mother doesn't want you to anywhere near her snake routine." Jerome nodded, miserable.

The ringmaster rubbed a hand over his head and groaned. He knew he was going to regret this. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask Glenn to start teaching you the basics of knife throwing. He's getting old, we'll need someone to help with the show in a few years anyway."

Jerome's head snapped up and a huge grin split across his face. "Thank you Mr. O'Donnell! I won't let you down!" He ran off, laughing, towards the school trailer.

Brutus stared after him, a heavy weight settling in his stomach. He really hoped he didn't regret this.

 _Thunk…_

 _Thunk…_

 _Thunk…_

Three knives embedded themselves in to the target, each fighting for the spot closest to the center.

"Well done, Jerome. You've improved." Glenn walked over to the target and carefully removed the throwing knives.

"Am I good enough to be in the show yet?" Jerome looked up at Glenn, eyes gleaming and his red hair sticking up all over the place. He was an adorable seven-year-old and the crowds would love him.

"We'll talk to the ringmaster, see what he thinks." Jerome's face lit up and he grinned widely before he ran off with his knives to go practice some more. Glenn smiled after him, before leaving the tent and walking over to the ringmaster's trailer.

He knocked on the door and entered when told to. Brutus was sitting in front of a mirror, applying his stage make-up. "What can I do for you, Glenn?"

Glenn sat down wearily across from Brutus. "Jerome has progressed very well in his knife skills these past two years. He wants to be in the show, and I think I can work him in, but the final decision is up to you."

Brutus sighed and put down his brush, turning his full attention to Glenn. "You know that's not true. We have to talk to Lila."

Glenn snorted. "You know as well as I do that Lila doesn't give a rat's ass about that boy. She probably won't even notice if he starts preforming! The only times she cares about his whereabouts is when she's drunk and needs a punching bag."

Brutus sighed, but didn't say anything. It was true. Lila probably wouldn't notice, but the others would. She would find out eventually and take her anger out on the boy. He said as much to Glenn, who nodded reluctantly. "I know. I'll tell Jerome."

Jerome didn't take it very well.

Jerome coughed heavily, clutching at his ribs, and leaned forward in an effort to avoid choking on the blood in his mouth. His heaving finally calmed and he spat the blood out in disgust.

He was sitting outside his trailer. It was warm outside, even at dusk. The crickets were chirping along with a chorus of frogs, but it still wasn't loud enough to cover up his mom's moans. It seems they were back to the 'boning' portion of his birthday torture trifecta. He hung his head and let the tears come.

The air shifted slightly and Jerome looked up to see the psychic Paul Cicero walking past his trailer, a small boy who looked like a Grayson leading him. Cicero paused and looked in Jerome's general direction. "Why are you crying, Jerome?"

Jerome sniffed, "it's my birthday, and my mom and the snake guy are beating me". He stared up at Cicero, barely daring to hope for any compassion.

Cicero stumbled a few steps closer to Jerome. "The world doesn't care about you or anyone else, Jerome. Better to realize that now." And that was it. Cicero whistled a little and the boy took his hand and led him away. Jerome stared after them, tears falling silently down his cheeks.

That was the day the last of his innocence left him.

Albus Dumbledore was shuffling through a pile of applications for the DADA teaching position when Minerva McGonagall burst in to his office.

"Albus! Something is wrong with Harry Potter. His letters are returning, undelivered. I cast a tracking charm on one of the owls, but it just flew in circles for a while before returning. What if something's happened to him?"

Dumbledore frowned, disconcerted. An owl reacting like that was rare, it usually only happened if the recipient was dead or hidden behind wards…

He let out a sigh of relief. Wards, of course! Harry was protected behind blood wards. He didn't think they would be quite so powerful as to deter owls, but it was a clear indication that Harry was in a happy home.

Dumbledore smiled serenely and stood up to approach his deputy headmistress. "All is well Minerva, Harry is hidden by some very powerful blood wards at his aunt's home, and they are blocking the owls. Why don't you go and deliver the letter personally? Petunia may need assistance in finding Diagon Alley anyway."

McGonagall let out a deep sigh and all the tension left her shoulders. Yes, of course Dumbledore was right. She was worrying herself for nothing. She straightened herself up again and nodded curtly at the headmaster, before heading towards the door to collect another letter.

Before the door closed behind her, Dumbledore called after her. "Minerva? Bring along Severus, will you? It might do Petunia some good to see a familiar face." She carefully kept her face blank and nodded before closing the door. Severus wouldn't be happy about this...

Minerva was right, Severus was not happy at all. They arrived at the door of Number 4, Privet Drive that evening. Minerva rapped smartly on the door and waited a few moments before it opened. Petunia took one look at them before she let out a small shriek and tried to shut the door, but Severus, in no mood for her theatrics, shoved his way inside. Minerva rolled her eyes, but followed him in, closing the door gently behind her.

"Petunia." Snape greeted with a curl of his lip. "Y-you!" Petunia's nostrils flared and pink spots appeared on her cheeks. "You have no right to come here! I demand that you leave!" Her yells attracted the attention of her husband and son, who both waddled in to the room.

"Pet? Who are these people?" Petunia turned to face her husband and gestured violently. "They're freaks like my sister!" She whirled back around to face them. "You have no right to be here! There is nothing for you here!"

"You're mistaken if you think we wish to be here." Snape drawled. "We only have need for the Potter boy, then we will take our leave."

"Potter boy? My nephew? He's not here. Why would you think he was? If you want to find him, ask his good-for-nothing parents."

McGonagall frowned, confused. Petunia was acting as though Lily were still alive. "Petunia, Lily has been dead for ten years."

Petunia carefully slackened her features in to shock. "What?" Snape looked at her with narrowed eyes, but said nothing. Instead, he removed his wand from his sleeve and, ignoring the Dursley's flinches, cast a quick spell. He frowned at the results and looked at Minerva, uncharacteristically unnerved. "There's no evidence that Potter has ever been here."

All the blood drained from Minerva's face. Where was Harry Potter?


	3. Chapter 3-Lost and Found

I apologize for this being so late, I got married and then started school again, but my schedule is finally calming down so hopefully I'll be more consistent. Please review! If you have any questions, I may not respond to them directly, but I will try and put an answer in the next chapter or two.

The realization that they had lost Harry Potter was by far the worst thing that had happened since that fateful Halloween night. Dumbledore moved through his office with a speed that belayed his age while he desperately searched through his baubles.

"Albus? What in Merlin's name are you doing? This is no time to be playing with toys!"

Dumbledore didn't miss a beat as he continued his search; "I placed a tracking spell on Harry's baby blanket before I placed him on the doorstep. It's linked to one of my trinkets, if I can find it we can track the blanket and hopefully find a clue as to what happened to the boy."

McGonagall kept quiet and started to aid the headmaster in his search, even though she had no idea what she was looking for. It helped a little to be doing _something_.

"Aha!" At Dumbledore's jubilant shout Minerva and Severus hurried over to where Albus was holding a small ornament of a fawn made of crystal. "Touch the figurine, when it's activated it will act as a portkey and bring us to where the blanket is. With any luck, it will be near the boy."

The two professors quickly did as they were told and Dumbledore briskly tapped the fawn with his wand and proclaimed, "Excitant!" Immediately the three were whisked away, spinning faster and faster until they finally snapped in to their destination with an abrupt rush of bubbles.

Severus recovered first, quickly casting a bubblehead charm around his head and those of his companions. After spluttering for a moment, all airways were cleared and the trio was able to catch their breath. They took in the dismal greyish yellow tones of the water around them in confusion. Dumbledore brought his hand up to eye level, still holding the little figurine, and mumbled a couple of words. The fawn started glowing, and as Dumbledore moved his hand in different directions the glow became fainter and then suddenly stronger. Albus clumsily led the group in the direction the glow was strongest, and it continued to brighten the closer they came to the blanket.

When the glow become blinding, Albus finally stooped and dug around in the mud a bit before pulling out his wand and blasting away a decade's worth of debris, revealing a large black bag. Albus stooped down and lifted the bag, grunting at the strain it placed on his arms. With an unusually somber expression, he gestured for the professors to once again touch the fawn, and they all returned to his office at Hogwarts.

Minerva quickly canceled the bubblehead charm and cast a drying charm on herself as she walked briskly to where Albus had placed the bag on his desk, ignoring the large puddle of water left where she had been standing.

"Albus? What's in the bag?" her voice shook. Severus stared at was he recognized as a muggle plastic garbage bag and sent a silent prayer to Lily that it was just a bag of old clothes.

Dumbledore used a quick cutting charm and sliced the bag open. Inside were several large rocks and a basket containing the blanket and more rocks. The professors exchanged glances and frowned. It seemed like a strange amount of effort to be rid of a basket and blanket. Dumbledore, however, started smiling again. "Well, at least we have some hope that Harry Potter is safe and well." Minerva smiled encouragingly, wanting to believe regardless of the pit in her stomach. Severus was not fooled. "Albus, look under the blanket."

Albus stared beseechingly in to Severus's eyes. He didn't want to lose his only source of hope, and he knew the chances were great he would. No one went to these lengths if not for a sinister purpose. With a great sigh he slowly removed the rocks with trembling hands. Each made a resounding thud against the sturdy oak desk he placed them on. At last they were all removed and there was no further reason to stall.

Dumbledore removed the blanket.

Severus paled dramatically and stumbled backwards in to a strategically placed chair. Minerva rushed to the rubbish bin and became sick. Dumbledore didn't move an inch, staring down at the small skeleton lying haphazardly in the basket.

Daily Prophet

2 September 2007

WHERE IS THE BOY-WHO-LIVED?

In a startling turn of events, Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, did not arrive at Hogwarts yesterday for the ceremonial sorting. Rumors are circulating as to his whereabouts. Is he attending another wizarding school? Is he a squib? Stay tuned, dear readers, as we investigate this scandal more thoroughly.

Daily Prophet

20 May 2009

YOUNGEST WEASLEY KILLED IN CHAMBER OF SECRETS

Though no body has been found, Ginerva Weasley is presumed dead, a victim of Slytherin's monster. As the Chamber is still hidden, the prophecy written on the wall seems to be true; her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever. A candle light vigil will be held at the Great Lake to honor her memory, open to the public.

Daily Prophet

13 March 2010

YOU-KNOW-WHO RETURNS! SIRIUS BLACK FRAMED!

In an unforeseen turn of events, we have discovered that Peter Pettigrew was not in fact killed by Sirius Black, but was actually the one who betrayed the Potters on that fateful Halloween night. (For more information, turn to page 4.) Pettigrew returned to aid You-Know-Who, who was witnessed by aurors stationed at Hogwarts to escape. It is believed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets the previous year and, using very dark magic, killed the Weasley girl and regained his body. We speculate that he remained in the Chamber to regain his strength and, aided by Pettigrew, recently escaped the castle and is now at large.

Sirius Black has been cleared of all charges and compensated for wrongful imprisonment.

Daily Prophet

15 June 2011

50 DEAD AFTER ATTACK ON DIAGON ALLY

A Death Eater raid, led by recently escaped convict Bellatrix Lestrange, destroyed most of the eastern part of Diagon Ally, including Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and Eeylops Owl Emporium. The attack left fifty dead and at least a hundred more wounded.

CEDRIC DIGGORY WINS TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

A bright point on this otherwise dreary day, Hogwarts's own Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff, triumphed over Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons, and Victor Krum of Durmstrang.

Daily Prophet

8 September 2011

DOLORES UMBRIDGE NEW HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

In an effort to protect and demonstrate interest in the education and well being of the Hogwarts students, The Minister of Magic appointed Dolores Umbridge, current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts and Ministry employee, the position of High Inquisitor. This position will allow the Ministry more power to ensure what the children are learning is enough to sufficiently defend themselves in case of attack, and to better prepare them for the future. To further ease the worry of parents, there are to be several highly trained Aurors to patrol the grounds of Hogwarts at all times to ward off any potential attacks.

ANOTHER MASS BREAK OUT AT AZKABAN

This is the fifth mass breakout in as many months and what we really have to ask is: how many Death Eaters are really left in there?

Daily Prophet

15 April 2012

UMBRIDGE REVEALED AS DEATH EATER, REMOVED FROM HOGWARTS

Dolores Umbridge, High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, has revealed herself to be a Death Eater. She was discovered sabotaging the curriculum and using Dark artifacts (see page 2) to torture children in detention. She was pursued by aurors, but managed to escape. Headmaster Dumbledore will be filling in for the role of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher for the rest of the year.

Daily Prophet

10 July 2012

DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO RISE

Over 1000 wizards and witches confirmed dead from last week's raids. See page 3 for a full list of names and where to claim the dead.

Daily Prophet

1 November 2012

ATTACK ON HOGWARTS! SCHOOL TO CLOSE

The Dark Lord has made a daring move and attacked Hogwarts as a show of force. Three students were killed in defense of the school, along with Pomona Sprout, the Herbology professor. The attack lasted through the night, but ended with a Hogwarts success. However, due to the damage to the wards it is no longer safe to continue the school year, and Hogwarts will be closed.

Daily Prophet

15 July 2013

HOGWARTS TO REMAIN CLOSED

The damage to Hogwarts's wards is more extensive than previously thought, and as a result, the school will remain closed for another year. Parents can owl order supplementary material and are asked to try and home teach the students in an effort to keep them from getting to far behind. Please put an emphasis in shielding and defensive spells.

CURFEW BEING ENFORCED FOR SAFETY

Do to high amounts of Death Eater activity, the Ministry has ordered a mandatory curfew for all citizens. If any magical person is found outside after 10 pm, they will immediately be arrested and taken in for questioning under veriteserum.

Daily Prophet

19 August 2014

THE DARK LORD TAKES CONTROL OF MINISRTY

The Ministry has fallen, the Dark Lord now ha control over most of wizarding Britain. We beg all of our readers to stay indoors or go into hiding. Don't bring attention to yourselves, and above all, be safe.

WHERE IS OUR SAVIOR?

In this dark time we can't help but remember our young savior. He vanquished the Dark Lord once, we can only pray for a miracle that he will somehow return and do it again.

Gotham Gazette

November 11, 2014

BOY MURDERS MOTHER, SENTENCED TO LIFE IN ARKHAM ASYLUM

Jerome Valeska, 18, was convicted of murdering his mother, Lila Valeska, earlier this week. They both were part of Haly's Circus, Lila as a snake dancer and Jerome as a crewmember and part-time knife thrower. Jerome pleaded insane and is serving a life sentence in Arkham Asylum.

Gotham Gazette

February 12, 2015

TERROR AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FUNDRAISER: JEROME VALESKA CAPTURED

In an astonishing turn of events, Jerome Valeska, leader of the recent crime group the Maniax, has been captured. He was holding the Children's Hospital fundraiser at gunpoint when philanthropist Theo Galivan managed to injure Valeska, causing enough of a distraction for Officer James Gordon to gain control of the situation and arrest Valeska, whose wounds will be treated at Arkham Asylum, where he will resume his life sentence. Valeska's accomplice, Barbara Kean, is still at large.

Hermione sighed, wary, and turned on her dad's telly. She flicked randomly through the channels hoping to find something to lift her spirits. There had been another battle the day before and the casualties, while low, struck close to her heart. Tonks was gone, as was professor McGonagall. She had just returned from the funerals.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" The brunette startled from her thoughts and turned to look at Ron, who plopped unceremoniously on to the couch next to her. Sirius, who came in after Ron, curled up on the floor in his dog form.

"I'm seeing if there's anything on that will cheer me up a little."

"Oh. What's this, then?" Hermione turned to look at the channel she had stopped on when Ron had startled her. It was a news broadcast from America about some crazy terrorist who dressed up and killed people. A picture was brought up of an attractive red-haired boy with a wide grin and chilling green eyes.

"Stop it! Stop the screen!" Hermione gave a small shriek as Sirius suddenly returned to human form and gestured madly at the screen. She quickly did as he asked and paused the newscast, the picture still largely displayed.

"Sirius? Hermione? Is everything alright?" Remus, concerned from the shrieks and yelling, poked his head in to the room. "Remus! Get Dumbledore! I found Harry!"

Dead silence.

Remus stared at Sirius in concern. "Padfoot, you know Harry is dead. Dumbledore found his body."

Sirius shook his head in denial. "It wasn't his, Moony! The body belongs to some other kid, look at the screen! I know my godson, and that's Harry!"

Lupin looked uncertainly at the screen and gasped. James face stared back at him, but with Lily's hair and eyes. The boy looked to be about eighteen, the right age, and had an unsettling expression, but the resemblance was uncanny. Maybe Sirius was right. It was worth at least looking in to; any hope in times like this was worth more than all the galleons at Gringotts.

"I'll go fetch Dumbledore."


	4. Chapter 4-Discovery

Dumbledore stared unblinkingly at the screen. "Sirius, I know you want this to be Harry, but I don't see how that could be possible. Even disregarding the body I found, this boy has red hair, Harry had black."

Sirius snorted, "That doesn't mean anything. Molly mentioned once that all her kids had dark hair when they were little, then it all fell out and came in red. That could just as easily happened for Harry. It's worth looking in to!"

Remus gazed at the screen. Sirius might be right, but if he's wrong and gets everyone's hopes up… the Order might not be able to survive the blow. They had already lost their main headquarters when Bellatrix was freed and the deed transferred to her, negating the Fidelius charm. That had been a dark, bloody day and now they were forced in to Hermione Granger's childhood home as a temporary headquarters.

Dumbledore gave a short sigh, cutting off Remus's musings. "We'll vote on it at the meeting tonight. Our numbers are small right now, and I don't want to do anything this rash if it might drive a wedge in to the little structure we have left."

Sirius immediately agreed, and flashed a triumphant grin. As Dumbledore left the room, Sirius waltzed over to the group of teens. "Hey, Hermione, right? Is there another way to get more information about where the muggles are keeping Harry? And why he's locked up?"

Hermione blushed faintly at the dazzling grin sent her way from the charming rouge. She had never really spoken to him before, but she and Ginny would often have giggly conversations late at night in an effort to raise the mood, and he often came up.

"Um, I can probably Google him. Let me get my mum's computer, I think she forgot it here when I moved them to Australia." She quickly ran up the stairs but paused when she got to her parents' room. She hasn't been in there since she obliviated them and sent them away for safety. The young witch forcibly gritted her teeth and turned the knob. The door swung open easily, and Hermione had to choke down a sob. The air still smelt like them. She sat on the bed, and gazed unseeingly at the wall, lost in memories.

"Hermione? You ok? You've been up here a while." Hermione startled, and turned to face her best friend. "Yes, Ron, I'm ok. This was all for the best anyway." She sniffled, and walked over to the dresser and picked up her mum's laptop. "Let's go get some dinner, the meeting will be starting soon."

Ron nodded, distracted at the thought of food. They made their way down to the dining room and sat down, Sirius immediately making a beeline towards them, dragging Remus behind him.

"So, what does this thing do?" Hermione perked up at the question, the teaching moment temporarily banishing her thoughts.

"This is a laptop computer. It connects to something called the Internet, where muggles store all sorts of information. You can read books, watch movies, read the news, and look up information. If you ever wanted to know something, the Internet is sure to have it. This here," -she pointed to the Google home screen- "is called a search engine. I type something here, like the boy's name" -she types out 'Jerome Valeska'- "and then push enter. All the things that pull up are links to different news articles, blogs, videos, and pictures that have to do with the boy."

"Wicked! It's awesome what muggles can do even without magic." Ron enthused. Sirius nodded distractedly, staring at the screen where more pictures of Jerome were pulled up. Hermione clicked on the first article, and read aloud:

"Jerome Valeska, leader of the terror group calling themselves the Maniax, was finally apprehended Friday evening, at the Gala fundraiser for the Children's Hospital. Valeska had hijacked the evening performance by posing as a magician. After a few innocuous magic tricks, he called Deputy Mayor Harrison Kane up to assist and then threw a knife into his chest, killing him."

"Well…that's a little more than I expected. And it says he posed as a magician, do you think he learned magic somehow?" For the first time Sirius looked concerned about the situation. Remus nodded, slowly. "It's possible. America does have magic schools, like Ilvermorny. It's possible he was accepted there instead of Hogwarts, which is why he was erased from the Book of Admissions."

Hermione hummed thoughtfully, and made a mental note to research American magic schools, before reading on.

"After he revealed himself as Jerome and his assistant as Barbara Kean, they, along with several gunmen, took the event hostage and searched for his next victim, Bruce Wayne. However, Gotham newcomer Theo Galavan approached the stage and confronted Valeska. A witness stated that what Galavan said was 'inspiring', and 'a refreshing dose of courage and true leadership'. However, his speech was interrupted when Kean knocked Galavan out with a mallet.

"At this point, Bruce revealed himself and as he was on his way to the stage, Detective James Gordon of the GCPD and Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family butler, shot the gunmen and brought the hostage situation to a draw. As the tension built, Galavan miraculously woke up and knocked Valeska out with the same mallet used on him. Detective Gordon cuffed Valeska, and he was arrested and brought directly to Arkham Asylum. Barbara Kean managed to escape through a trap door in the stage during the commotion."

"Bloody hell, he sounds mad!" Ron spoke the words everyone was thinking, but didn't have the courage to say. Sirius looked upset for a moment, but he couldn't deny it, the little boy he used to amuse with his animagus form was no longer an innocent child.

"Something really bad must have happened to make him this way." Remus looked up from the screen at Sirius's words. He was right. James and Lily were both good people, and as a child Harry was a very sweet boy. This change was certainly not the result of nature, which only left…

"We need to find out more about how Harry grew up. Who raised him, how he even got to America in the first place."

"That is, assuming this boy is, in fact, Harry Potter." The group startled and turned to the kitchen, where Dumbledore stood with several members of the Order. "But that is a determination to make at a later time. For now, let us eat. Then we will decide whether or not to investigate the identity of the boy further." Dumbledore's word was law, so the group quietly put away the laptop and returned to the dining room table to partake of Mrs. Weasley's cooking.

The food was delicious, as per usual, but the food sat heavily in Hermione's stomach. Her mind was turning, trying to analyze all the possibilities and arguments that could be made. She desperately wanted Jerome to be Harry Potter. It was the first shred of hope she'd had since Ginny died. If they could confirm Harry's identity, and somehow cure his madness, it would be the shock the wizarding world would need to rally against You-Know-Who.

Dinner seemed to drag on, but finally all the dishes were cleared and Dumbledore stood to initiate the meeting.

"Welcome, all. As all of you know, we have had a hard month. Many of our number were lost in the attack on Number 12, and we mourn those losses dearly. However, we still stand, while small in number, as strong in mind and in spirit as ever. I would like to extend my personal thanks to Ms. Hermione Granger, for allowing us to use her home as a temporary headquarters." Light clapping filled the room, and Hermione ducked her head, her cheeks the color of apples.

Dumbledore became more serious, and raised a hand to quiet everyone down. "Earlier today, Sirius saw a boy on the muggle television who he believes to be Harry Potter." An instant uproar responded, voices calling over each other in anger and disbelief.

"How is that possible? You were the one to tell us he was dead!"

"It isn't possible! I saw the body myself!"

"QUIET!" It took Hagrid bellowing to regain order.

"Thank you, Hagrid. As I was saying, at this time we have been unable to confirm the identity of the boy, but even I must admit he bears a certain resemblance to James, and he has Lily's eye and hair color. As for how, we only noticed he was missing when the owls couldn't deliver his Hogwarts letter. It wasn't until later that we discovered that his name had disappeared from the Book of Admissions. At the time we thought it was because of his death, but now we believe it's possible that he was simply removed from the country at a young age, and was enrolled elsewhere, such as Ilvermorny. This boy we discovered lives in a city called Gotham, in America. It must also be mentioned that he was on the television because he committed a crime, the details of which I don't know, but I believe Ms. Granger was able to determine the nature…?"

"Umm, yes. I used a muggle machine to discover the information by-"

"Perhaps just skip to the relevant information, please Ms. Granger. For the sake of time, you understand."

"Oh, of course. My apologies. In short, the boy, who goes by Jerome Valeska, was arrested for charges of murder and terrorism. He seems to be quite mad, but also is in the hold of the muggle world. With a proper mind-healer, it's possible he could be cured."

Silence followed Hermione's statement. It was a heavy burden, knowing that their possible Savior might be as bad as the Dark Lord himself.

"This is a lot, and I don't want to try and begin to understand how it's possible, but I for one think that it's all a moot point if we don't at least try and validate this boy's identity. It may be Harry, or it could not be. But we should, at least, check." Arthur Weasley's pearl of wisdom cut through the rest of the Order's thoughts. A murmuring of assent trickled through the group, and Sirius looked as if he may burst.

"Very wisely said, Arthur. Are we all in agreement, then? I, along with Remus and Sirius will travel to where the boy is being held and confirm his identity. If he is Harry, we will make arrangements to bring him here. If not, well…at least we'll know for sure."

And with that, the travel preparations began.


End file.
